15/06/2014

1 Simple Way to Avoid Procrastination | Advice

Confession - I am a massive procrastinator especially at home after work or on the weekends when all I want to do is nothing!

I have found it is so easy to get into the habit of procrastinating and justifying it by saying things like "I will do it tomorrow when I have more time", "it won't matter if I leave it one more night" etc (sound familiar?) In reality all this does is build up all of the things that need to be done until it all becomes too much and you wish you had just done it in the first place.

Over the years I have found there is 1 simple trick that helps me keep on track when I want to be productive...

Making a list!

I know. Such a simple concept. But lists are truly amazing when it comes to beating procrastination and being productive. Having everything written down and out of your head stops you from feeling overwhelmed by the thought of things you want to achieve. Lists allow you to look at everything you want to get done in a clear and concise manner, and help you to prioritise what you need to get done which in turn makes you a lot more productive.

I write lists for everything including:

- food Shopping
- cleaning
- what I want to do when I get home
- what I want to get done over the weekend
- birthday presents

(see what I did there...)

I personally find that lists give me a great feeling of satisfaction as I tick off each item one by one. I feel so good knowing I am actually achieving something, and am not getting bogged down by the million things I want to do in my head.

A few tips for good list making:

Make small, easy to achieve lists
The key with list making is to have small, manageable lists which actually encourage you to get things done. This may mean you have quite a few lists, but it allows you to break everything down into smaller chunks making you much more productive. It can be overwhelming to look at a long list of things to do.

Check off each item as you go
As I mentioned above, I love ticking off each item as I go as it makes me feel like I have actually achieved something.

Choose a system that works for you
Everyone has their own way of creating lists, so choose the one that works best for you. Personally, my lists usually consist of headers and indented dot points (see example below). This allows me to break everything down into even smaller steps.

Are you an avid list maker like me? How else do you avoid procrastination?